


A First Time for Everything

by WendyMcTorry



Category: Uta no Prince-sama
Genre: Fluff, M/M, lots of fluff to come, probably eventual smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-05
Updated: 2016-06-09
Packaged: 2018-07-12 11:25:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7101277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WendyMcTorry/pseuds/WendyMcTorry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>STARISH was drinking as a celebration of their success, when they receive fanmail suggesting yaoi ships! Things get crazy, and the band bribe Syo and Otoya into kissing to see if they would really be a good couple. The boys like it more than they ever could've imagined, and they get together. Can they hide their relationship from Shining so they won't be fired? Will the rest of STARISH find out, and if they do, will they approve? Find out!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. It Started With a Kiss

STARISH was doing extremely well at the time! Nanami had more inspiration than ever, the boys had more energy than ever, they had more fans than ever, it was a dream come true for everyone! And to celebrate how amazing STARISH was doing, the band decided to have a few drinks. 

"Hey, guys!" Natsuki giggled. "I got a fanmail one time, and they thought Syo and I would be a cute couple!"

"Somethin' you're not telling us, Syo?" Otoya nudged him and laughed. 

"Pfft. The day I get with someone who has a shrine to Piyo-chan will be the day pigs fly." 

"I think you'd be cute together, too." Jinguji laughed, making fun of them. 

"Oh yeah, Ren? Well, let's just see what people have to say about you!" Syo stormed off to the computer. He came back after a few minutes. "Ha!!!! People think you and Masato should get together!" 

"Me and Hijirikawa?" Ren laughed. 

"Absolutely never." Hijirikawa agreed. "I don't believe people would actually think that. Step aside." 

Hijirikawa went to look online to make sure Syo wasn't just messing with him. And he wasn't. Drunk Hijirikawa was definitely not in his right mind, so he decided to get revenge on Syo. 

"Kurusu! People also think you and Ittoki would go well together!" 

"At least it's not Natsuki." Syo laughed. 

"Let's see why they think that!" Cecil suggested. "Syo, Otoya, stand together!" 

The boys did as they were told, but it was starting to become a little… nerve racking for them. 

"Now hold hands!" Cecil ordered. Once again, they did it but were hesitant. "Now kiss!" 

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!" Syo exclaimed with a sly smile on his face. "What's in it for us? Why should we just follow orders without getting anything?" 

"Yesh, Syo's right." Otoya crossed his arms. "We want free food and drinks for the rest of the night. As much as we want! If you promise that, we'll kiss." 

"Guys? What do you say?" Cecil asked. 

"I'm in." Jinguji agreed. 

"Me, too." Masato said. 

"Me three!!!" Natsuki smiled. 

"Alright, between the four of us, you'll get free food and drinks tonight. But it can't just be a little peck. You've gotta hold it a while, okay? Go!" 

Otoya and Syo turned to each other, both red in the face. They weren't sure everyone would agree. The smallest part of them hoped they wouldn't so they could avoid the embarrassment. But it would be over in a second, and then they could drink away their nerves. Ittoki wrapped his arms around Syo's waste while Syo wrapped his arms around Otoya's neck. 

Both of them thought it would be short and mean absolutely nothing. But the second their lips touched, there was a spark they'd never felt before. Sure, both of them had kissed before, but this was something completely different. They were in their own little world for a good thirty seconds. That was when the crowd started cheering, and they realised they were being watched. Syo's first instinct was not to look at the crowd, but to look at Otoya. Did Otoya feel what Syo felt during the kiss? Based on the look Otoya gave him, Syo could tell he did. 

The band enjoyed the rest of their night, while Syo and Otoya made sure to make the absolute most of their free food and drink deal. They were both passed out on the floor by two in the morning. The rest of the boys were sober enough to make it back to their bedrooms, and they left Otoya and Syo in the lounge on the floor. 

Syo woke up with a major headache and immediately tapped Otoya on the shoulder, waking him up, too. 

"What a crazy night, eh?" Otoya laughed, hoping a positive attitude would stop the headache. 

"Yeah. What was that… that…. That kiss…?" 

"I don't know. What did you think of it…?" 

"We both know that it was… it was really good… But the question is why. I'm straight, last time I checked. Are you?" 

"I've had feelings for Nanami since the beginning of first year. But… that doesn't help me deny what I felt last night." 

"Okay, no, you can't talk like that, it's making this all too weird." Syo shivered. "We're friends, and bandmates. This kind of thing can't happen. That's why it's weird, not because there's anything wrong with being gay or bi or anything."

"Right, right. It's because of the love ban, too." 

"Right! It was probably just the alcohol, anyway." 

"Definitely the alcohol." 

There was an awkward silence. Both of them wanted to see if blaming it on the alcohol was correct, or... if they really had a connection.

"Alright… we're on the same page."

"Damn it." Otoya said. "Syo, I can't just let this slide. Do you think we'd feel that again if we kissed sober? I've never felt that with anyone before, and if you're alright with it, I want to try to feel it again. I thi--" 

Syo interrupted Otoya by straddling him and kissing him. That same spark returned. Otoya slipped his hands under Syo's shirt and explored his abs. He tried to take the shirt off, but Syo stopped him by grabbing his hands. 

"I'm sorry, Syo, I--" 

"No, it's not that. I want it. I want you… But we can't do this without a plan. If we were caught, STARISH would be over. We're not just risking our careers here. We're risking the careers of everyone. Ren, Masato, Nanami, Natsuki, Tokiya and Cecil." Syo said as he got off Otoya. 

"You're right. We have to be more careful." 

"What we have is amazing, Otoya. Let's turn it into something more." 

"What did you have in mind?" Otoya smiled, making Syo blush. 

"Let's get in disguise and go on a date in public, without letting anyone know it's a date. Let's work on a song together. Let's become best friends. And of course, more of this." Syo kissed him. "Let's turn this physical chemistry into a full blown relationship." 

"I couldn't have said it better myself. I would've said something but you beat me too it. We don't want to just end up each other's booty calls." 

"That would be awful." 

"Exactly." Otoya smiled and took Syo's hand. "I think we might owe Masato, Cecil, and the guys who paid for us to kiss a sincere thank you."

"Absolutely we do. As soon as we're free to tell them, we will. Until then, we have to pretend nothing happened. We can't go around playing footsies at the band dinners or giving each other looks or anything. Okay?"

"It'll be hard." Otoya laughed. "But I'll do it." 

They shared one more kiss and then went their separate ways for the day like nothing happened.


	2. Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> STARISH has a sneaking suspicion that Syo and Otoya are together. Cecil organizes a meeting to confront the possible love birds, and it doesn't end well for Syotoya. They can't believe they're being accused of risking STARISH's future when there's no proof

"Yo, Nanami!" Syo smiled as he walked into the practice room. 

"Hey, Syo!" Nanami smiled back. 

"Otoya and I had the best idea for a song last night. We're going to start working on the lyrics, can you compose us a song?" 

"I'd love to! What kind, though?" 

"You know us. Just do your stuff! Make sure it's up beat, and probably a rock kind of song." 

"Alright, I'll start it as soon as I can!" 

"Thanks, Nanami!" 

Over the next couple of weeks, Syo and Otoya became very close. They spent triple the amount of time together as usual, and they requested to the a song together. Little did the gang know just how close and intimate they were getting. The rest of the band thought just spending more time together was sort of suspicious, given they had just kissed recently. 

"Could we have set them up unintentionally?" Hijirikawa wondered. 

"It's possible. Unlikely, but possible." Ren agreed. 

"We need to confront them. I, for one, think it is likely. Who can kiss, only to become closer instead of avoiding remembering the awkward situation? Unless they did become a couple. I'm sure they won't risk our careers. But, we should double check, not just for our careers, but for theirs, too." Cecil suggested. 

"Maybe we should ask one-on-one. I know Syo better than anyone, and he wouldn't risk all of our careers." Natsuki disagreed. 

"I agree with Natsuki." Tokiya began. "Otoya is too kind to endanger everyone's dreams." 

"Can we at least talk to them?" Cecil asked. 

"Okay." Natsuki reluctantly agreed. He twiddled his thumbs, knowing it was wrong to make that accusation... but feeling like, on the off chance it was necessary, Syo would understand. 

That day after class, Cecil invited Syo and Otoya to the band meeting. The boys could immediately sense the bad atmosphere in the room.

"What's going on here? You guys look all serious." Otoya started to worry as he sat down next to Syo. 

"We know your secret." Jinguji began. 

"Secret? What secret" Syo asked with a calm exterior, even though his heart was beating out of his chest.

"We can't really blame you. We did get you started." Cecil said. "But you are going to get yourselves fired, and kill STARISH, if you continue." 

"Continue with what?" Otoya asked, praying that by some miracle they weren't talking about his relationship with Syo. 

"Do you really think you can hide this from us?" Tokiya asked. "We know you guys better than anyone else." 

"Hide what? You guys are being so cryptic. Just spit it out if you're accusing us of something!" Sao burst, too nervous to keep his composure. 

"You're together. You're breaking the love ban." Masato glared. "You're risking everyone's careers, not just your own, don't you understand that?" 

"Of course we do." Otoya glared. "That was the first thing Syo said when we woke up the morning after the kiss. We decided we'd be careful, and we have been. How did you find out?" 

"We're not the ones undergoing the interrogation here. You are." Tokiya said. 

"Interrogation? You guys are our friends! We are being careful here." Syo backed Otoya up. 

"The first thing you did was request that you and Otoya work on a song together. After seeing how into that kiss you got, we started to have our suspicions, and that song request confirmed it. We didn't catch you red handed, but we did find out. And if we found out, you can bet that Shining isn't far behind. We love you guys, but you need to end this." Natsuki requested. 

"You guys don't get it." Otoya said as he took Syo's hand. "We're in love." 

"Exactly." Syo smiled at Otoya. "So you guys have two options. We promise to be super careful. We won't even go out in public together unless everyone is with us. You can accept those terms, or you can tell Shining. But if you did that, you would be the ones ending STARISH, not us. We promise you we won't get caught." 

"How can you promise that? You're not in control over who's watching." Jinguji said. 

"Right. But we are in control over where we are together. We'll only be alone together in one of our rooms." Otoya said. That was exactly what they were doing anyway, but it didn't matter. They hadn't been caught, STARISH only suspected them, and they accused them just based on speculation. 

"We love you guys and want you to be happy. Don't you think you'd be happier singing with all of us than being found out?" Natsuki questioned.

"We can do both. We can sing with you, and we won't be caught in our relationship." Syo promised. 

"And say, for arguments say, you two were caught. What would you do?" Cecil asked. 

"We would claim nothing ever happened. In the totally-fake scinario that they have proof we were together, we could say it was just a one time thing. And we'd stop. If we actually put your careers in danger, we would stop." Otoya explained. 

"Exactly." Syo agreed. "But that's not going to happen." 

"You guys are a ticking time bomb." Masato noticed. "It's inevitable you'll be found out." 

"If we're found out, we wouldn't regret our actions. And, when you guys fall in love, you'll see why." Otoya said. 

"You wouldn't regret ruining our careers?" Natsuki asked, completely in shock.

"You know what, fine." Syo stood up. "If you guys are this determined to break us up, then fine. We will." 

Syo turned to Otoya.

"I'm sorry… but we're just not going to win this one." Syo dramatically stormed out of the room. 

"Hope you guys are happy." Otoya hissed and then ran after Syo. By the time Otoya had found Syo, he was sitting on his bed in he and Natsuki's shared room.


	3. Deception

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Syo and Otoya share some intimate moments, and plan how to trick STARISH into thinking they're not together, when really, they are! A little smut, you have been warned.

"So, how'd I do?" Syo smiled as Otoya entered the room.

"You did great! I don't think they suspect a thing!" Otoya beamed closed the door behind him.

"That's great! Now c'mere." Syo held out his arms for his boyfriend

Otoya locked the door then climbed on top of Syo and kissed him. Their kisses started out fast and needy as Otoya grinded against Syo. This time, it was Syo who slid his hands underneath Otoya's shirt, and Ittoki responded by quickly whipping it off. Syo sat up briefly and Otoya took his off too, right before pushing him right back down and beginning to suck on his neck. Between the grinding and neck kisses, Syo couldn't help but let out some rather unmanly moans. But he was too lost in Otoya to care. 

"Otoya…" Syo panted. "Just… just a second…" 

Otoya panicked. He was afraid he was doing something wrong, or going too fast. 

"I--I'm Sorry, Syo, I--" 

"You idiot, you don't have to be sorry." Syo laughed and playfully punched him. "I'm…. Are you… ready to go… to go all the way? We're already pretty… excited… and I don't want to go much farther without knowing how far we're going. I don't want to pressure you at all, I just want to know what you want." 

"I'm ready." Otoya turned red. "If you want… I'll bottom." 

"O--okay…" Syo tried not to act as relieved as he felt. 

There was an awkward silence for a few moments. 

"We kinda lost the moment, didn't we? I'm sorry." Syo sighed. 

"That's the funny thing about moments." Otoya smiled as he started grinding again. "You can always create new ones."

After some more making out and grinding, Syo flipped Otoya on his back and unzipped his pants. Once both of their pants and boxers were off, Syo pulled out the lube he had in his bedside drawer. 

"When did you get that?" Ittoki asked. He wanted to know how long he'd been keeping Syo waiting. 

"A day ago. I didn't know if we'd need it this soon, but I wanted to be prepared… if we did… which we do." 

Neither boy had ever used the stuff before, and they were both afraid of messing something up for the other, but they loved each other so much that they knew, no matter what happened, they could get over it. The real reason Otoya offered to bottom wasn't because he knew Syo's pride would make him want to top. It was because, despite the little bit of pain, he would feel relieved knowing that he would have much less of a chance of screwing things up for Syo. 

Syo had done some… reading the night he bought the lube, and he knew what he was aiming for. Otoya shivered at the cold lube when Syo inserted his first finger. 

"You know better than to be afraid to tell me if I'm hurting you or anything, right?" Syo double checked out of fear of hurting Otoya.

"Of course." Otoya laughed. His laugh always brought a smile to Syo's face. Syo went deeper and searched until Otoya let out a loud moan. "There! Right there, Syo!" 

"Perfect." Syo smiled seductively. He not-so-secretly really loved to tease Otoya by hitting the sweet spot, but not quite hard enough. Between the look on Otoya's face and his moans, Syo was nearly as hard as he was. After inserting another two fingers gradually and stretching his boyfriend out, Otoya gave Syo the go ahead he'd been dying for. Syo placed himself at the entrance and waited. "Are you ready?" 

"Yeah…" Otoya answered. 

"Otoya…" Syo nearly moaned as he moved past the ring of muscle. "You're… so tight…mmm…" 

Syo struggled to keep his eyes open as he went in to make sure Otoya was fine. Any time Otoya would even squint, Syo would panic, stop, and make sure he was fine. 

"You can move now, Syo." Otoya said. Syo started, and found Otoya's g-spot again soon after. "S--s--syo… again! Harder!" 

Syo didn't hesitate to fulfill the request.

"ng…. Otoya!" 

Between Syo hitting the g-spot and Otoya's walls clenching, both boys were soon over the edge. 

Otoya and Syo were both big coddlers, especially when they were tuckered out. They lay beside each other, completely exhausted, but never more happy. 

"I call big spoon!" Otoya smiled. 

"Oh, come on, you were it last time!" Syo argued. 

"I just bottomed. I think I'm entitled to seeing you in the small, submissive, cute position now." Otoya beamed, knowing he had won the argument. Syo sighed and snuggled himself into Otoya's embrace. It's not that he didn't like being the little spoon. He just loved being the big spoon even more, and for the same reason Otoya did.   
"You should feel pretty damn special. You're the only one who ever gets away with calling me cute." 

Otoya couldn't help but laugh and blush at how positively cute his boyfriend was despite how masculine he tried to be.

During the cuddle session, Otoya played with Syo's hair, and they had some deep talks. About an hour later, Otoya got dressed, and left. 

"Remember to act like we just ended it. We talked things over, and decided it would be best for the band if we weren't together." Otoya reminded his little cutie. 

"We weren't even caught." Syo huffed. "They didn't even know we were together, but they still accused us. I'm so pissed off. How could they do that? Don't they trust us?" 

"In their defence, their accusation was right. Sure, they should've had more trust in us and no accuse without proof… but we are in the wrong, too. Maybe even worse than they are. We are putting their careers in jeopardy, no matter how careful we are. The only difference is that we love each other more than we love singing with the band. And that's saying a lot, considering debuting was our dream."

"You're right. We're doing the wrong thing for the right reasons. Because we love each other. And there's only a, what, two percent chance we'll be found out? And if that happens, they'll all definitely hate us. But when they find people who make them feel the way we feel, they'll forgive us." 

"That was deep, Syo." Otoya smiled. 

"Oh, cut it out, you're totally ruining the moment!" He frowned. But Syo could never stay mad at Otoya. Sure, Otoya got to see Syo's super mushy cute side. However, he wasn't the only one letting the man he loved peer deep into his heart. Syo had seen just as new and adorable side of Otoya as Otoya had of him. 

The redhead left, pretending to rub his eyes like he'd just been crying. In the meantime, Syo cleaned up before Natsuki was back from his session with Haruka about his new song. There was not a trace of anything, and Syo made sure of it.


	4. Breakups and Makeups

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Syo and Otoya break up. Natsuki manages to drive Syo's conscience to the decision to end it so STARISH is no longer at risk. Both the boys go into a depression, and surprisingly enough, Satsuki is the one who helps them out of it. After a much-needed talk, Syotoya comes to a decision they won't change this time!

"Hey, Syo-chan." Natsuki smiled as he came back that night. 

Syo didn't respond. He didn't have to pretend to be pissed off, he was. Syo just threw on his earphones and played some loud music. Natsuki wasn't going to take no for an answer. He needed to make sure Syo was okay. He was, after all, part of the reason Syo was upset. Natsuki lightly tapped Syo on the shoulder.

"What do you want?" Syo hissed. 

"I know break-ups are tough. But you do know this is for the best, right?" 

"That's what makes it so damn hard!" Syo shouted. "If it was just you guys telling us to break up, we never would've. I hate that the one thing that makes me happier than anything else and seems more right than anything else is actually wrong." 

"All you have to do is wait. STARISH will run its course, and you and Otoya can be together then." 

"How long will that be?! How many years am I going to have to see him every day, knowing that it's this band that's keeping us apart. When we started STARISH, it was my dream. It was the most fun I've ever had, and I wished it would never end. But now I've found someone who makes me happier than even singing does, and the one thing that's keeping me from him is singing? It's just so weird, this isn't how it's supposed to be. Otoya and I were supposed to live our dream together, and now we can't." 

"I'm sorry, Syo-chan. I wish you could've had that, too." 

"No, you don't. You guys don't even trust us. You had absolutely no proof we were together, but you accused us anyway. Doesn't that make you feel bad?" 

"Of course it does! I wanted to talk to you privately first, but we decided there was strength in numbers." Natsuki sighed. "You were together, you know. Don't you feel bad about that?" 

"Yeah, a little. But nobody found out. And they never would've." Syo sighed. He still felt a little bad. But he would've gone into a state of depression if Otoya had really broken things off with him. 

"I'm proud of you, Syo-chan. You did the right thing despite how hard it was. I want to help you move past this. Can I do anything to help?" 

"You can club me over the head and make me forget everything since I kissed Otoya. It'd be easier." 

"You wouldn't really want that. Syo-chan, this isn't the end for you and Otoya. It's a temporary pause." 

"Just how long is it going to be? Am I… Am I gonna survive it?" 

"Of course you will!" Natsuki smiled. "You have all of us! Ren, Masato, Haruka, Cecil, Tokiya, and I will all help you!"

"Thanks." Syo managed a quick smile before going back into pretend-depressed mode. But he did some thinking. His conscience was telling him that he was breaking the rules. Actions come with consequences. If Syo didn't end things with Otoya, for real, they would get smacked by karma in the end. Syo no longer had to go into pretend-depressed mode. He was in actually-depressed mode. Syo knew he had to end things with Otoya… but could he? Could he find a way?" 

The next few days, Syo avoided Otoya completely. He kinda hoped that, if he didn't see Otoya, he wouldn't have to break the news. Otoya was doing a great job at acting, from what Syo could tell during their brief moments together. 

"Um… Syo?" Otoya asked after group practice. "We have a request. Do you want to work with me on a song for an advertisement?" 

"S--sure." Syo agreed, knowing that the first chance he had alone with Otoya, his conscience would eat him alive if he didn't break up with him. 

They agreed to meet the next day. Syo didn't sleep the night before, and he was filled with dread. What would Otoya think…? Would he think Syo planned to break up with him all along and only postponed it so they could have sex? And now that they had, Syo was done with him? That's exactly what Otoya would think, and Syo had to make it clear that is not at all what happened. 

"You look sick, Syo… are you alright?" Otoya asked, putting his hand on Syo's shoulder. 

"No…" Syo finally got up the courage to look Otoya in the eye. "We're gonna get in huge trouble for this, Otoya…. Karma's going to come around and kick our asses if we don't do the right thing." 

"I knew it…" Otoya shed a tear. "You were avoiding me. And the brief times we did see each other, you didn't look me in the eye, even when I was talking directly to you about something. I knew it wasn't acting. It was too…" 

Otoya couldn't say any more. He stood up and went to leave. 

"I love you, Otoya." Syo wiped a tear as Otoya exited. 

"I love you, too, Syo…" 

"This isn't goodbye, Otoya… this is just a pause. We'll live our dreams, and in a few years, if STARISH isn't done by then, we'll leave anyway. I don't want to rob you, particularly, of this experience." 

Otoya went to his room and bawled his eyes out. Syo did the same. When Natsuki came back that night, Syo had literally cried himself to sleep. Tokiya found Otoya had done the same, sleeping while clutching a wrinkled-by-tears page with sad song lyrics. The boys felt horrible about the suffering their roommates were going through. Tokiya figured that working on the advertisement song with Otoya instead of Syo would help ease the pain. He texted Nanami and Shining, who got the approval of the client. Natsuki's first instinct to cheer Syo up was to bake him something. But once he put serious thought into it, he decided Syo would hate that. Natsuki remembered Syo and Otoya baked something with him, and figured it would bring back bad memories. His next choice was treating Syo to a day at an amusement park. But, despite the fact that Syo conquered his height fear for Prince of Fighting, he decided he shouldn't even risk it. Finally, Natsuki had the best idea yet. He ran to the store and got three huge tubs of ice cream, in Syo's three favourite flavours. He also rented the entire Prince of Fighting television series, every season their was. 

"Syo-chan!" Natsuki beamed when he came back. "I have a surprise!" 

"Not now, Natsuki…" Syo rolled over and buried his head under his pillow. 

"But I rented Prince of Fighting and I have ice cream! I have chocolate chip cookie dough, vanilla to make floats with Dr. pepper, and even Rollo!" 

Syo's ears perked up at Prince of Fighting, and by the time Rollo was announced, Syo was actually sitting upright in bed. 

"Let's start with the float. Can we add some rum?" Syo joked. 

"Give it another few years, we're not 21 yet." Natsuki laughed as he got Syo his float. That night actually managed to take Syo's mind off of his despair until the next morning. He awoke to a text from Haruka saying Otoya wouldn't be working with him on the ad like they had planned. He didn't know what to think. Part of Syo knew it was for the best. Right now, they wouldn't be able to create anything together, let alone something a client would enjoy. But just because they were broken up, didn't mean Syo didn't want to see Otoya. In fact, he really missed him. Especially his smile, which always cheered Syo up. 

When Syo heard it was Tokiya taking his place, something changed. A tear hit the screen. He figured Otoya must've asked to switch partners because he did't want to work with the man who broke up with him. Syo hated himself right now. At times like this, he had to work extra hard to remind himself of why he did what he did. 

"Good things come to those who wait." He reminded himself. "This isn't goodbye. It's just a temporary pause. In a few years, Otoya and I will be together. It will get easier." 

Imagining Otoya in the same pain he was in was the worst part of the breakup for Syo. Two weeks passed since the breakup, and every night, Syo had nightmares about what he did. Otoya's face when Syo broke the news replayed in his head. Each night was a different nightmare, worse than the night before. In one of them, Otoya moved on and found someone else. In another one, that someone else was Tokiya. In the third nightmare, Otoya never forgave Syo for choosing fame and fortune over him. 

"More nightmares…?" Natsuki asked kindly. 

"Yeah…" Syo wiped his tears. It had gotten to the point where Syo cried every night at every one of his dreams. He was almost afraid to go to sleep every night because he knew what would happen. 

"Come on." Natsuki said as he threw clothes at Syo

"What?" Syo was so confused. He looked over to see that it wasn't Natsuki, but Satsuki. 

"You're going to see Otoya. You're crying every single night, and I get the feeling it's not easy for him, either. You two need to work out your shit. If you spend one more night crying, I will throw you out of the room, got it?" 

"O--o--okay…" Syo nervously got dressed. He was nervous to go see Otoya, but the only thing that scared him more than facing Otoya, was Satsuki's wrath. That dude knocked down a tree in one punch, and Syo wasn't exactly a match for him. 

Luckily, Tokiya was practicing his song with Masato when Syo dropped by, so Otoya was alone in the room. 

"Syo… what are you doing here… and so late…" Otoya asked as he answered the door. 

"Natsuki said we should talk. He's kinda sick of me being bummed out. And I don't like being bummed out anymore than he likes dealing with me when I'm bummed out, so I'm going to try to not be bummed out any more." Syo nervously rambled as he entered the room. 

"I'm sorry you're upset…" 

"This isn't your fault, Otoya. It's not the guys' fault, either. It's society's fault for their stupid love ban." 

"I know! It's so stupid! Fans who actually listen for the music are the only fans I want to sing for! Anyone who calls themselves a 'fan' but would drop us just because we're not available isn't a real fan!" 

"I know we get more income through fake fans, but they're making us miserable! We can't be the only two idols who've experienced this kind of pain because of the love ban." 

"The problem is nobody's stood up. We don't want to get fired." 

"We worked so hard to get here, and we don't want to lose it all… even if it is for the person we love. We shouldn't have to make the choice between our dream career and true love." 

"If we all stood up, together, we could change things!" Otoya beamed. 

"That would be great." Syo smiled with him. He really missed that smile. He missed Otoya's always-positive atitude. How he believed anything was possible. 

"You don't think we can do it?" Otoya sensed.

"No, I know we could. I just… I didn't come here to talk about plan a. I came here to talk about the worst case scenario, not the best case one." 

"Right…" Otoya sighed. 

"Do you remember how we were before we fell for each other?" 

"We didn't talk much. I really regret that thinking back." 

"Me, too. But we need to go back to that 'just friends' stage. Only with a lot more talking this time." 

"Definitely." Otoya lightly chuckled. "I'm sorry Nanami took you off the ad we were supposed to do." 

"Nanami…?" Syo asked. "I thought you asked her to switch because you didn't want to see me. Which is completely understandable, given that I--" 

"I never don't want to see you, Syo. Never." Otoya assured him with a hug. Syo hugged him back tightly. 

"That's a relief." Syo laughed. 

"I guess this is what they mean by 'communication is key'. I'm sor--" 

"Don't apologise. It's not your fault." 

"But I hadn't even said 'sorry' yet, how'd you know?" 

"I know you, and you're always apologising for stuff you can't control. You don't have to, really. I should've been the one to clarify because I was the one who had the thought."

"You're right." Otoya smiled. "No more avoiding each other. Thank you for coming to talk to me, Syo."

"No problem."

"You were right, by the way. About karma." 

"Why? Did something happen?" Syo panicked and instinctively grabbed Otoya's hand. 

"No, no." Otoya smiled. "I was thinking of us like Romeo and Juliet. We love each other even though we're not allowed to be with each other. In the end, Romeo and Juliet's sneaking around and attempts to be together despite their families wishes killed them. They ended up having to see the other die because they were hasty and neglected the law as well as the feelings of their families. Maybe, if they had waited until they were older and wiser, their families would've understood and accepted they could make choices for themselves. In a few years, when we decide to leave the band to be together, they'll all understand." 

"We should warn them. We should tell them they have three years left." 

"Alright, we'll talk to them tomorrow. In the mean time, what do we do… about us?" 

"We go on as we were when we were dating, only without the flirting and intimacy. I'll still kick your butt at video games, we can still write songs together without a romantic undertone, and I'll accept every one of your challenges of races to the studio." 

"That sounds great." Otoya smiled, unbelievably happy that he and Syo could still have half their relationship. Otoya put a sly, sexy look on his face. He leaned in toward Syo and whispered in his ear. "I am going to miss you calling my name the way you did that night."

Syo turned cherry red and got the shivers and goose bumps. Otoya laughed at the hold he still had over his boyfriend-to-be, relieved it wasn't gone. 

"And, for the record, I don't give a damn what the guys think, I'm still going to tell you I love you. Just not in front of them." 

"Me, too." Syo smiled. 

"It's going to be weird, not to get to kiss you goodbye… or at all…"

"I know…" Syo sighed. "I'm gonna miss cuddling with you." 

"Aaaawe, Syo, how cute!" Otoya giggled. He then froze and panicked. "I am still allowed to say that, right?" 

"Of course. Just because our relationship status changed doesn't mean the way we feel about each other did." Syo laughed. "But you'll be dead if you talk about me like that to anyone. You can think it, and you can say it to me, but even when these three years are up, you still can't tell anyone how cute I am." 

"I can live with that." Otoya laughed. But his smile soon faded. "Do you think our relationship will change over the next few years? If we take three whole years without being anything more than friends, will we ever be able to get back to being a couple?"

"Then maybe we should only wait one year." 

"One year sounds much better." Otoya smiled as he leaned in and kissed Syo. He immediately backed away, realising what he did. "I'm s--" 

He was going to apologise, which Syo could tell from the second Otoya pulled away. Syo wasn't going to let that happen, so he stopped Otoya by kissing him. That's the only way you can shut someone who's in love with you up without making them mad. In a few seconds, Otoya was lying on the bed with Syo straddling him.

"S--syo…" Otoya moaned when Syo sucked on the sensitive part of his neck, where he knew Otoya liked the most. 

"Yeah…?" Syo answered in a seductive low tone while continuing to kiss Otoya's neck. 

"W--we can't… you know we can't."

"Darn…" Syo sighed as he got off Otoya and plopped down beside him on the bed. "You're right…" 

"Well, it's my turn to be right at some point." Otoya laughed. 

"Let me see your neck. I didn't give you a hickey, did I? I was trying to be careful." Syo tilted Otoya's neck. But he knew he didn't give Otoya a hickey. His real plan was to get one last moan out of Otoya to last him the next year. 

"Ah….Syo… mmm" Otoya cried out. That was exactly what he wanted. 

"I can't wait until I get to hear more of you." Syo winked, making Otoya blush. "I'll see you around, Otoya." 

"Oh, no you don't!" Otoya laughed as he pinned Syo up against his door. "You don't get to be the only one to hear the other." 

Otoya quickly unzipped Syo's pants and gave his little friend a quick squeeze. 

"Ha….ng…."

"You don't have to hold it in." Otoya whispered in Syo's ear while running his thumb over the slit. 

"Ha….Otoya…." Syo moaned. "You have to--- ah…. Stop or… ng…. Finish it." 

Otoya zipped Syo's zipper back up and kissed Syo's now rather pink cheeks. 

"I really wish we could finish what you started, but we both know it wouldn't be right." 

"What I started? You kissed me first!" Syo reminded Otoya.

"Yeah, but I immediately apologised and pulled away. You're the one who really got us going, Syo." 

"True." Syo laughed. "It's kind of fun to do a little wrong like this to get just enough of a fix, but to not go far enough for anything to be wrong. We should do this again, Otoya." 

"I'm game." Otoya smiled. "See you later, Syo."

"Later." 

Syo closed the door behind him. But he immediately barged right back in. 

"Fuck it." He said as he pushed Otoya against the wall and stole one last kiss. "I just couldn't say goodbye to you without my tongue down your throat." 

That was it. For real this time. Both boys had to get the urge out of their system while thinking of the other, but there was absolutely nothing wrong with that.


	5. Accused

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Syotoya is falsely accused of being in a relationship. They're rightfully angry at their bandmates for accusing them, once again, without any proof. This time, it was a wrongful accusation. How is STARISH going to make it up to their friends? Do they care enough to? Could this be the beginning of the end of the band?

Because of the slight teasing they did to each other every now and again, they stayed sane that entire year and didn't lose any connection to each other. If anything, they gained a strong foundation for their relationship through their strict friendship-only year. For Syo's birthday that year, Otoya took him on a beautiful hike to a lake. They had a fun skinny-dip, with a little fooling around, but nothing breaking the rules. The boys watched a romantic sunrise. For Otoya's birthday, Syo tried to top it. It took him a while, but he finally found the perfect thing to do. They visited the orphanige where Otoya grew up, and they got to spend part of the day playing with the kids, who all loved Otoya so much. After that, they went to dinner and a movie Otoya said he'd been dying to see. They ended the night off with a little fooling around with some champagne. They agreed on no big presents, so they just got each other little gifts to commemorate the occasion but nothing too big or romantic that the guys would notice and call them out on. Syo got Otoya a keychain from his favourite book series and wrote a romantic letter that Otoya thought of every time he used his keys. It never failed to make him blush no matter how many months went by. Otoya got Syo a pick for his guitar engraved with the letters S and O together, and he wrote a song, as well. 

It was two months until the time Syo and Otoya decided they would quit STARISH and become a real couple. They had talked about waiting longer, but they decided to wait the two months and reconvene about it closer to the date. Cecil had called a meeting of STARISH that day, and Syo and Otoya thought nothing of it. Until they saw chairs in a circle and everyone with their arms crossed. They could tell it was yet another intervention because of an evidence-lacking accusation.

"How's it going, Syotoya?" Cecil glared. The boys knew this was about their relationship. But they hadn't been doing anything wrong. Other than a little teasing, they weren't a couple, and they didn't do any more songs with each other than with anyone else, and neither of them spent less time with any other member of STARISH than they did each other. They knew they were in the clear. But something about the tone Cecil used a mash of their names in lead the boys to believe that they were in big dog doo doo, despite that. 

"Syotoya?" Syo asked. 

"Yeah, it's your couple name." Hijirikawa answered in an equally hostile tone. 

"We have to use that in a couple months!" Otoya smiled. "Thanks for the idea, guys." 

"A couple months?" Ren spat. "You've been a couple this entire time." 

Syo stood up immediately, so fast his chair flew back. He wasn't going to sit through this. Not again. Especially since they'd given up so much time together for the band, who ended trusting them no farther than they could throw them.

"You guys don't know what we've been through to keep STARISH alive, and if you guys are going to accuse us, again, of being a couple, we're out right this second." Syo growled. He should've known they still didn't trust them. 

"I found this." Tokiya held up the pick Syo got Otoya for his birthday. "Otoya, care to explain? It's got the initials S and O blended together." 

"Just because we're not a couple doesn't keep us from having feelings for each other. Syo got me that for my birthday. We may not be together now, but it's only two months away. What's wrong with getting our initials engraved together in something that'll last long into our relationship?" Otoya explained. 

"Syo-chan…" Natsuki sighed with a sad, disappointed look on his face. "What about his?" 

Syo blushed. 

"S--s--sure, it's a love letter… but… we're still not together…" Syo said in a nervous way. There was some intimate stuff, and Syo was sure the entire band had read that. Otoya was just as red. 

"Tell us the truth. You two have been together the entire time." Celcil ordered. 

"No, we haven't. I haven't spent more time with Otoya than I have Nanami, or Ren, or you, Cecil." Syo defended. 

"That doesn't mean you haven't been dating in the time you have spent together." Tokiya said. 

"Natsuki, Tokiya, are you really believing this? You guys share rooms with us, you'd know if Otoya and I were together doing anything." 

"There are other places." Ren said. 

"We trusted you when you said you'd break up. I can't believe you'd break that trust." Cecil hissed. 

"But we didn't!" Otoya shouted. "What do you guys want us to do? Have a chaperone whenever we're hanging out?" 

"A great suggestion." Masato finally smiled. 

"I was kidding." Otoya frowned. 

"Natsuki, how can you think I would do that? After how much pain I went through after breaking up with Otoya, after two weeks of crying myself to sleep, how could you think I could fake that?" Syo hissed.

"I don't think you faked it. I think it was too hard for you to deal with life seperated from Otoya, so you got back together. You came back fine that night, compared to your two weeks of crying yourself to sleep. That's a pretty big change." Natsuki answered.

"It's because we figured everything out! We had our one-year plan! That end goal gave us something to look forward to, it eased our minds knowing for sure when the suffering would end. We talked through our problems that night, but that's all we did." Otoya told the littlest white lie. They did play around a little every week or so, but they were not together, and they were not found out.

"Otoya," Syo whispered to the love of his life. "I don't know if I want to be in a band that doesn't trust us." 

"I know. I don't like this, either. But if we want to stay friends with all these people, we need to leave STARISH on a good note. With everyone's blessing." Otoya reminded Syo, who hated to admit that Otoya was right. 

"Okay. We'll do what they say." 

Otoya turned to the group. "You win. Someone can chaperone us whenever we hang out for the remaining two months." 

"Alright. Thanks for your cooperation, guys." 

And with that, the meeting ended. Syo stormed back to his room, needing to let off some steam.


	6. Exclusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Syo finds out that the rest of STARISH has been leaving him and Otoya out of a lot of group get-togethers. He feels angry, betrayed, and is tempted to quit. He gave up a year with Otoya, and for what? For people who don't care enough about them to invite them? Luckily, Haruka convinces him to stay and helps him talk through his anger so he can think properly.

Syo was playing the violin in his room that night when Natsuki left. 

"Bye, Syo-chan!"

"Where are you headed?" Syo asked. 

"Just out with some friends. I'll be back by eleven...ish!" 

Syo didn't know what to think about that. This could be his last chance to fool around slightly with Otoya before his two months house-arrest began. And who were these friends Natsuki was going out with? Syo was never introduced to them, and they'd never come over to their room to hang out. But, Syo pushed the thoughts out of his mind and kept practicing the violin. 

Four or five hours later, Natsuki returned, slightly tipsy. 

"Whoa, where'd you go?" Syo laughed. 

"We went and got drinks! It was fun!" Natsuki giggled. "Syo-chan! I haven't showed you pics from yesterday's Piyo-chan character show!" 

"Natsuki, really?" Syo sighed as Natsuki sat down on his bed and pulled out his phone while drunkenly giggling. He swiped and swiped through picture after picture of the baby chicken. But the last picture took the smile off of even Natsuki's face. It was Ren, Masato, Natsuki, Haruka, Tokiya, and Cicel at a bar holding up drinks. Syo checked the date before Natsuki swiped back. It was that night. "You went out with the band tonight?" 

"Um…. Uh…" Natsuki didn't know what to say. 

"Wow…" Syo growled and turned on his side, away from Natsuki. 

"Syo-chan, please don't be mad. I wanted to invite you and Otoya, but Cecil said--" 

"Since when did Cecil become King of the Castle?" Syo hissed. 

"I'm sorry." 

"No. You made your decision, Natsuki. I thought we were a band. I thought we were a team. I thought we were friends. How long have you guys been going out without me and Otoya? The past year? Longer?" 

"The…. The past year… and a half…" 

Syo rolled his eyes. He grabbed his coat and left.

"Syo-chan, where are you going?" 

"For a walk. Tell Tokiya to watch Otoya if you're so damn worried." Syo hissed and slammed the door. Despite how worried Natsuki was about Syo, he texted Tokiya, who responded saying he'd keep an eye on Otoya so he and Syo didn't meet up in secret. 

It was early October. The air was cold, but the night was magical and beautiful with cool Halloween decorations. Syo went to the spot that had become his hideaway he'd go to when he was upset and needed to think. It was a beautiful walking bridge over the river. 

"We should leave," Syo thought. "We're not part of the band. Not really. We're not one of them, Otoya. I can't believe we wasted a year of our lives not being together because of THEM." 

Otoya had always worried that if they left too early, it would be the rest of the guys who hated him and Syo. But because they hadn't left early enough, now it was Syo who was beginning to be mad at the rest of the band. Syo didn't want to tell Otoya. The last thing his love needed was to feel farther apart from the band… from his friends… 

"Syo-kun?" A voice asked. Syo wiped away his tear. 

"Oh, Nanami, how are you?" Syo put on a fake smile. 

"I'm good. Just taking a nice night walk." She smiled and leaned on the railing next to Syo. "You seem upset. Are you alright?" 

"How much do you know?" Syo asked. 

"About what…?" Nanami asked. 

"If you have to ask, then you know nothing about it. I don't want to explain it all." 

"Is this about you and Otoya?" 

"So, you do know." 

"I do." Nanami sighed. "The guys told me everything. So you guys broke up for real this time, that's why you're upset." 

"NO!" Syo screamed. It shocked Nanami. "I'm sorry, Nanami, it's just that for the past year, nobody has believed us! Cecil, Tokiya, Ren, Masato, and even Natsuki don't believe us! Otoya and I were togther for a bit, but we haven't been for a year almost!" 

"Really…?" 

"Really. But nobody believes us. I'm not surprised you were told the lies." Syo huffed. "Natsuki was showing me some pictures about half an hour ago. You guys all went out to the bar tonight without me and Otoya. You deliberately left us out because you think we're together. Otoya and I gave up a year of our lives together for people who not only don't want to hang out with us, but don't trust us, either. I'm so fucking pissed! We've waited almost a YEAR because of all of them, and they don't even care about us enough to invite us! Natsuki said you've all been doing stuff like this for a year and a half now! We're not part of STARISH anymore. Not truly." 

Syo couldn't help but let his voice crack as he spoke and shed a few tears. 

"I never knew why you guys didn't show up. I asked, but they always got silent. I figured they asked, but since you two couldn't be together, you didn't want to be in the same room, even. It was rude to only ask one of you, so they asked neither."

"That's nice of you to assume the best about them, Nanami." Syo smiled. "I want to leave STARISH. I want Otoya to come with me. You should get out, too. I don't know what's going through their heads. But I'm sick of always been ostracised by people who are supposed to be my friends. 

"Don't leave, Syo-kun!" Nanami begged. "STARISH isn't STARISH without you and Otoya-kun!" 

"STARISH hasn't been STARISH since that night." Syo thought back to the night of kissing in exchance for free drinks and food that brought everything about. 

"What night…?" 

"We were celebrating our success. We've had a few nights like that since, but clearly, the rest of the band has had many more without us. Anyway, Natsuki got fan-mail saying he and I would be a cute couple. I laughed in his face. Ren seconded Natsuki's opinion we would be cute together, so as revenge, I looked up who fans paired him with. One thing led to another, and Masato, who people thought Ren would be good with, also looked up pairings. When Cecil heard that Otoya and I were supposed to be a good pair, he suggested we kiss to see if they were right. Otoya and I said we would in exchange for free food and drinks for the rest of the night. But it was no ordinary kiss. There were fireworks, like how it seems in the movies. Otoya felt it, too. To this day, just seeing Otoya can send electricity through me. Ever since then, we got closer, and fell in love." 

"What a romantic story." Nanami smiled. 

"It is." Syo laughed. "But because of the love ban, we hid our relationship. Nobody found out, but the guys still accused us because of the kiss and the little looks we gave each other, and such. They had no proof, but still accused us. In their defence, they were right, but they still should've trusted us. After that, we broke up for real, and for the past year almost, we've been just friends…" with slight small benefits, he almost added.

"And because you two are in love, they excluded you. They're just jealous, Syo-kun. Don't blame them." 

"Oh, I blame them. I blame them big time. I know I have to tell Otoya tomorrow, maybe even later tonight. I just…. I don't want to. He'd feel just as betrayed and angry as I feel. We gave up a year of being together, and for what? A year of major exclusion." 

"It was horrible of them. I wish I would've known. But now that I do, I'll talk to them." 

"Thanks, Nanami, but Otoya and I will talk to them ourselves. We're the ones who were excluded, and we need to confront them." 

"Promise me you won't leave. Please. This is everyone's dream, even Otoya's." 

Syo thought about it for a moment. He knew he couldn't keep a secret from Otoya, it would come back to kick his ass. But he could forgive the group, move on, and have a fun last blast with STARISH for the next two months. 

"I promise." Syo smiled and shook Nanami's pinkie. 

"Good!" She beamed. "And for what it's worth, I really do think the boys were just jealous of you. You have what they all want, and they're angry you found it but they couldn't. Plus, I'd rather be excluded from a group of friends but have the love of my life by my side than have only those friends." 

"You're right." Syo smiled. "Thanks, Nanami. I feel a lot better now."

"Do you want to scream? It sometimes helps relieve frustration." 

"Yes. Yes I do." Syo laughed. "FUCK YOU AIJIMA CECIL, FUCK YOU ICHINOSE TOKIYA, FUCK YOU JINGUJI REN, FUCK YOU HIJIRIKAWA MASATO, AND WHAT WERE YOU FUCKING THINKING SHINOMIYA NATSUKI!?" 

"Better?" 

"Much!" Syo laughed. "Wait a minute. Those guys got me together with Otoya. Maybe I shouldn't be saying that." He laughed again. 

"Eh, you can be mad at the people who've helped you for a little bit as long as you forgive them in the end." Haruka smiled as they began the walk home. 

"Phew." Syo chuckled again.


	7. Working Things Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Syo has worked out his own feelings, he forgives Natsuki. Then, he tells Otoya what has been going on and helps him work through his. Together, Syotoya confronts the remainder of STARISH and they agree on no more secrets or false accusations.

When Syo got back to his room, Natsuki was up waiting. 

"Syo-chan… are you okay?" He asked. 

"I'm alright now, Natsuki, thanks." Syo smiled. "I was mad at the four of them. Cecil, Ren, Tokiya and Masato I mean. They had no shame in calling us out, accusing us of risking STARISH's career without a shred of proof, twice. You were always hesitant to go along. You yielded to peer pressure, which was wrong, but I forgive you, Natsuki." 

"SYO-CHAN!" Natsuki cried as he hugged Syo tight. "I--I--I WAS SO WORRIED YOU H--H--HATED ME! THAT WE WEREN'T F--F--F--FRIENDS!"

"We'll never not be friends, Natsuki. I promise." Syo smiled. Normally he'd push Natsuki off, but at the moment, he was more emotionally unstable than Syo was. "Thank you for urging me to talk to Otoya that night almost a year ago. We were able to work things out, and it made me feel better." 

"I did what…?" 

"You probably don't remember, but you did." Syo said, winking for Satsuki, who he knew was watching. "Thanks for comforting me when I was crying after Otoya and I broke up. Thanks for always listening to me and my problems. Thanks for cheering me up with floats and Prince of Fighting. Thanks for caring. Natsuki, thanks for being the best friend and roommate I could ever ask for." 

At this point, Natsuki was crying so much the room would flood in a matter of minutes. 

"Y--Y--Y-YOU'RE W--W--WELCOME S--S-YOU-CHAN!" Natsuki said through his tears. 

"Tomorrow, I'm going to talk to Otoya. Once he processes everything, we'll talk with the rest of the band. We'll figure out where we stand. But I promise you one thing, Natsuki. I'm not leaving STARISH." 

"OH THANK GOODNESS!" Natsuki cried one last time. Once again, Syo would normally be mad, but he knew how sensitive Natsuki was. Besides, after everything he found out a few hours ago, it was nice to know that at least one true member of STARISH cared about him.

That night, Syo slept like a baby. He was able to get out his anger (in a healthy way... by yelling off a bridge) at STARISH not just for excluding them, but also for how they accused Otoya and Syo of being together twice without proof. He had a plan to resolve everything calmly, and things were looking up. Two more months to go, and he would be free to be with Otoya. 

In the morning, Syo knocked on Otoya's door. 

"Syo! Morning!" Otoya smiled. Luckily Tokiya was there, or Syo would've had to leave immediately to obey the chaperone rule. 

"Morning!" Syo smiled and hugged Otoya. After that, he looked at Tokiya with a stern face. "You want to tell him, or should I?"

"What are you talking about?" Tokiya asked. 

"Tell me what?" Otoya worried. 

"Natsuki didn't tell you why I left last night? Why he asked you to keep an eye on Otoya?" 

"No, he didn't." Tokiya answered.

"Syo, what's going on?" Otoya asked. 

"Let's sit down." 

Syo and Otoya sat on his bed. 

"For the past year and a half, Tokiya, Cecil, Ren, Masato, Natsuki, and Haruka have been going out without us. They've been excluding us from group get-togethers." Syo just came out with it, like ripping off a bandaid. 

"What?" Otoya immediately looked to Tokiya. "Really?" 

"I'm sorry, Otoya. It was Cecil's idea, and we all just went along with it. Natsuki opposed it at first, and Haruka had no idea." Tokiya apologised. 

"Why would you do that!? We're your friends! We're part of STARISH, too!" 

"I know, it was wrong of us. We just… wanted to have fun, without having to worry about any drunken mistakes…" 

"This is because you thought Syo and I were together! We weren't!" 

"We know that now, but we thought you might've been lying to us back then. We didn't feel as bad leaving you out since you were going behind our backs and risking our careers." 

"BUT WE WEREN'T!" 

"We didn't know that back then. I'm sorry, Otoya… I'm sorry, Syo." 

"How dare you! After we postponed our relationship TEN MONTHS for you, and you still don't trust us! Do you even like us? Clearly not, or you would've wanted to invite us!" 

"It's not that we don't like you. We do. You're just as much members of STARISH as anyone else, we were just feeling betrayed, even though, in the end, we weren't." 

"How long have you known?" He asked Syo. 

"Since about eleven or midnight last night. I was just as pissed as you are. But I worked it out. Nanami helped me talk through things, and so did Natsuki. I only didn't come to you because it was so late. Plus, my frist reaction was to save your feeling, and not tell you at all. I realised within the hour that I shouldn't keep anything from you, even if it's extremely upsetting." 

"Thank you, Syo." Otoya smiled. 

"For the record, Natsuki feels absolutely horrible. You should've seen the devastation on his face when I found out. You should've seen how much he cried tears of joy when I came back and told him I forgave him, we were still friends, and that I wasn't leaving because of this. I think my shirt is still drying." Syo laughed, and managed to get a chuckle out of Otoya. "What do you want to do? I was planning on calling a meeting later, but if you need more time, we can do it another day." 

"No, I'm alright. Natsuki's such a kind person, I figured he wouldn't be the one behind this. So who is?" 

"It's--" Syo began, but Otoya shushed him with his finger. 

"Tokiya, who is it? Who started this? Who suggested it would be best to leave Syo and I out? Who thought we were together when we weren't?" Otoya asked, knowing they were all the same person. This was a test. Tokiya could either be truthful to Otoya, or not be forgiven. 

"Cecil started it all. He suggested the meetings with you two to accuse you of being together." Tokiya answered with a sigh. Otoya then looked to Syo. 

"Yeah, it was Cecil." Syo confirmed. 

"Thank you for telling me the truth for once, Tokiya." Otoya slightly smiled, clearly still mad and freshly wounded. 

"I knew it was wrong. I just… I didn't want to be kicked out, too. As Hayato, I never knew who my real friends were and who got close to me because I was famous. STARISH were the first people I didn't feel the need to question since I became Hayato. I didn't want to lose them. I'm sorry, you two." 

"I forgive you." Syo smiled at Tokiya. Otoya took a minute to think about it. 

"I forgive you, too." Otoya agreed. Tokiya smiled at us. 

"Thanks, guys." 

Syo went to his recording session with Nanami for the song Hyuga-sensei had asked him to write for the newest Prince of Fighting movie. While he did that, Otoya had time to think. He felt betrayed. He felt like he wasted almost a year of his life on people who didn't even like him. Basically, the same way Syo felt last night. Nanami helped Syo, and Syo helped Otoya after the session. By supper time, Otoya had forgiven everyone, and he and Syo had decided they would let everyone know that. 

"Everyone," Otoya began. "Syo and I feel pretty betrayed by you guys leaving us out of so many things. Nanami, you had no clue what was going on, assuming it was our personal choice not to be there because it was too hard to see each other. Natsuki, you felt so terrible about it and apologised so many times. Tokiya, you admitted the truth and apologised, too. You're all forgiven. Please don't do that again. It truly made us feel like we weren't part of STARISH at all." 

"That's not true. Of course you're part of STARISH." Ren said. 

"Then why wouldn't you invite us to band get-togethers? If you really considered us your friends, you would've." Syo countered. 

"It's not that you aren't our friends." Hijirikawa began. "We were drinking all those times we got together. We didn't want you under the influence, something could've happened, like the kiss that brought you two together. That was all." 

"You should've told us the truth. We could've handled it. It's better than stabbing us in the back for a year and a half." Syo answered. 

"We stabbed you in the back? You dated, risking everyone's careers." Cecil began. Otoya and Syo both smiled. For some reason, they were excited to be on the high horse and to know they were in the right. Finally, it was their turn to scold the mastermind behind their year of torture for being wrong, instead of being scolded. 

"I'll admit, we did date." Otoya began. "We gradually stopped after you asked us to, knowing it was wrong. But you all have to admit you were in the wrong to accuse us without any evidence." 

"But we were right, you were dating." Cecil objected. 

"Sure, you were right, the first time, not the second. But you went about it the wrong way. Your accusation was right, but making the accusation was what was wrong." 

"I admit, we jumped the gun." Ren sighed. "I'll apologise for that." 

"I will as well." Hijirikawa joined in. "We were all hesitant to accuse you when we had nothing. Which is why the second time, we prepared with your letter and intimate gift." 

"Thank you guys for apologising." Otoya said. "But seriously, we are in love, but we're not together. You guys should've trusted in us." 

"You're right, we should've." Ren looked down, feeling ashamed. 

"I'm sorry." Hijirikawa said. Everyone looked at Cecil then. 

"Personally, I think it was worth the risk. These are our careers, Syo and Otoya. You boys can be together any time. But our performing days are numbered. You could've waited, you could've had as many chances together as you needed. But one mistake, and STARISH is done. That's why I was so harsh. I did the wrong thing, and I'll apologise. But I did it for the right reasons, and because nobody else would. Somebody needed to." 

"Really? Somebody needed to accuse us with no evidence, twice, one of those times wrongly?" Syo glared. 

"It's what kept you apart these ten months." Cecil answered. "I'm sorry for the pain it caused you." 

Well, that was a start. A crappy start, but a start none the less. 

"Alright, good." Syo braced himself for the biggest reveal of the night. "I know nobody wants STARISH to end. But Otoya and I agreed to wait a year. All of your careers are on the line, too. Can everyone honestly say there will not be a single hard feeling when this year is up?" 

"I still think we should wait." Cecil said. "It's five against two. Otoya, Syo, please consider staying another year after these two months are up. You're ruining everything for everyone."

"We'll guarantee you these two months." Otoya promised. "And, we'll talk about adding extra time. Any more complaints?" 

There was silence in the room. 

"Can we all agree to move on? No more accusations? No more exclusions? No more secrets of any kind? I promise I won't do any of those things." Otoya smiled. 

"I promise." Syo began.

"I promise, too!" Natsuki beamed. 

"Me, as well." Haruka smiled. 

"I promise." Tokiya joined. 

"I'll make that commitment." Hijirikawa stated. 

"Me, too." Jinguji agreed. 

"I promise as well." Cecil finished. 

"Alright!" Otoya beamed as he raised his glass for a toast. "To a fresh start!" 

Everyone clinked glasses, and enjoyed the rest of supper. With everything cleared up, everyone felt better. Cecil had felt the least guilt, but he was relieved that nobody was angry with him anymore. He still kept his eye on Otoya and Syo to be sure the alcohol didn't get to us, but other than that, everyone had a good relaxing night together.


	8. Happily Ever After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's STARISH's last concert. It's the end... or is it? Natsuki discovered that STARISH made more than even Shining did back in his performing days! With that as leverage, Syotoya blackmails Shining. They'll either quit, and make Shining lose all of STARISH's prophet, or Shining can lift the love ban, and STARISH can continue. What will Shining choose? If STARISH's love ban is lifted, everyone else in Shining's control will want it lifted, too. Is he willing to give up STARISH to keep that control? Is he willing to give up all love ban control to keep STARISH?
> 
> Bonus: Cute little happily ever after paragraphs telling us how everyone is doing years later! Who gets married? Who has kids? What jobs do they get after STARISH has run its course?

One and a half months came and went. That December would be their first Christmas as a couple! Syo and Otoya had already started planning each other's Christmas presents back in September. Syo arranged for the two of them to take the children from Otoya's childhood orphanage Christmas caroling. Later on, they would have hot chocolate on the bench of Syo's favourite park. As for the physical present, Syo decided on a new electric guitar for Otoya. 

Meanwhile, Otoya had plans of his own. He arranged a sleigh ride from the academy to the bridge where Syo went to think. There, he would plant some mistletoe on lamp-post and then play a few couple-themed Christmas carols on his guitar. He really was a hopeless romantic. For Syo's physical present, Otoya planned to take him to Hyuga-sensei's ten year anniversary concert in mid-January.

STARISH's last concert was on December second. Syo and Otoya's plan was to debut the song they started writing together the day after their first kiss. Cecil wasn't very happy. He wanted STARISH to last longer. But he couldn't control Syotoya, he failed when he tried. If Cecil hadn't accused them twice with no proof, Syotoya could've hid their relationship for three or so years instead of having no relationship for one. The rest of STARISH had a melancholy feeling. They were so happy for Syo and Otoya, but so sad their time was done. 

Half an hour before the show was supposed to start, Shining Saotome arrived. 

"Kurusu-kun! Ittoki-kun! What in the hell do you think you're doing!?" He huffed. 

"What do you mean?" Otoya asked. 

"You're leaving STARISH! You're breaking the love ban!" 

Syo frowned as he asked "How did you find out?". Syo took a wild guess, and knew that it was a little kitty that told Shining, not a little birdie.

"It doesn't matter. You can't do this! STARISH is your dream!" 

"No," Syo smiled as he took Otoya's hand. "we're each other's dreams." 

"You can't be serious!" 

"Oh, but we are. We've waited over a year to finally, truly, publically be together. We don't want to wait another day. It ends tonight, Shining." 

The boys bowed together as they said "Thank you for everything, Saotome-sensei." 

"If you really appreciate everything I've done for you, you wouldn't throw it all away!" 

That was when Natsuki came rushing in, out of break. 

"Syo-chan! Otoya! Look!" Natsuki beamed. 

"What's this?" Otoya asked, reading it. 

"Shining, I'm gonna borrow these two for a moment." Natsuki grabbed Syo and Otoya's arms and dragged them into a dressing room. "STARISH doesn’t have to end! We're the highest grossing band to date! We made more than even Shining did in a year! With this, we have leverage! Shining would do just about anything to keep STARISH together! Which means, if you blackmail him, you can get the love ban lifted! You can be together and be members of STARISH!"

Syotoya couldn't help but stand there and look at each other with their jaws dropped. 

"Natsuki, remind me to make you my best man on our wedding day. Or, like, worship you or something!" Syo beamed. 

"All hail the mighty Natsuki!" Otoya jumped up and down. "So, we're gonna do this?" 

"Hell yeah, we're gonna do this! Let's go do this!" 

"I'll come help!" Natsuki offered. The three of us approached Shining. 

"Shining, we have an offer. We were planning on disbanding STARISH tonight and being together. But, if you agree to free us from the love ban so we can be a couple, we'll stay." Syo began.

"Are you nuts? I don't have the power to do that." Shining bluffed. 

"Excuse me, but in my guilt-ridden-over-lying-to-my-best-friend-phase, I spent hours searching for loopholes, and I found one! The love ban isn't an idol law. It's just something that studios normally fire idols for breaking. So, you actually do have the power. All you have to do is not fire Syo and Otoya for becoming an official couple." Natsuki explained. 

"Look, if I did that, I'd have to do that for everyone. It's not possible." Shining sighed. "I wish I could, really I do." 

"You see, that's where you're wrong. Natsuki, could you show Shining STARISH's prophit this year?" Syo beamed. 

"With pleasure." Natsuki waved the paper in front of Shining's face. 

"If our math is correct, which you can check for yourself if you like, STARISH earned more this year than even you did. It's earned tripple what Quartet Night did in it's biggest year, and they're your second best band, behind us. Losing STARISH would be devestating to you company." Otoya explained. 

"Sure, STARISH will get some hate. Otoya and I will be disliked by some people for being gay. Lots of fake fan girls who only like us for our looks will stop buying tickets and merchandise because they no longer have a chance with us. But, Shining, according to our math, which, again, you can check again if you want, you'd lose more money by losing STARISH than you would by just losing a few fake fans." Syo cockily smiled, knowing they had won. 

"And, don't forget my favourite saying! No publicity is bad publicity! Imagine all the interviews Syotoya will get asked to do because of their relationship and their sexuality!" Natsuki put the icing on the cake. 

"FINE!" Shining frowned. 

The three of us rushed immediately to tell the rest of the group. We all joined in one big band hug and we couldn't believe what was happening! Everyting was falling into place. 

"Good things come to those who wait," Syo thought. "THIS WAS TOTALLY WORTH THE WAIT, PAIN, TROUBLE, SADNESS, EVERYTING!" 

STARISH performed all their songs on their new album, and after all that was done, Syo and Otoya revealed their relationship in song. The grand finale of the song was a kiss, confirming everyone's suspicions that they were together. The crowd went wild! 

Time passed, and STARISH hit its peak, then declined. When everyone retired, they found love. Jinguji and Hijirikawa got married, merged their families' finance companies, and adopted children. Natsuki met a beautiful fellow piyo-chan fan at one of the character shows, and they had love at first sight! As you might've guessed, the poor girl was shocked when she first met Satsuki, but she came to love him, too. They too got married and had children. Cecil went home and married a princess, who helped him rule his country in peace. Tokiya and Haruka had already gotten close during the same time Otoya and Syo did, but they kept their feelings secret from everyone, even each other. But when STARISH finally announced their final concert, Tokiya confessed his love, and Haru did hers. They had a beautiful white wedding and had two children, one red-head and one bluenette. 

Finally, Syo and Otoya got married, and as promised, Natsuki was Syo's co-best man (along with his twin brother) while Tokiya was Otoya's best man. The rest of STARISH were their groomsmen, including Cecil, after some talks about the pains of exclusion. They adopted a son who they named Allan, a daughter who they named Callie, a second son who they named Jasper, and finally, one more girl named Hikari. Syo went on to create his own spin-off series of Prince of Fighting, which Hyuga-sensei guest-starred in from time to time. Otoya started working at his old orphanage, taking care of kids and teaching them singing and guitar when they had free time. 

And they lived happily ever after.


End file.
